Neil Wilby Media

Following the news that was broken exclusively by Neil Wilby Media two days ago (read article here), there has been a further significant development concerning three Oldham councillors who were suspended by the Conservative Party.

Action was taken against Cllrs Kamran Ghafoor, Muhammad Irfan and Abdul Wahid, whom all represent the Hollinwood ward, after they attended a pro-Palestine march in London on 18th November, 2023.

It is alleged that they were chanting anti-semitic slogans, a matter robustly refuted by a spokesperson representing the three, who described the accusation as ‘baseless’.

It emerged yesterday afternoon, via an email to Group Leaders from the Borough Solicitor, Paul Entwistle, that a new entity has been formed by those same three councillors, to be known as ‘The Oldham Group‘.

The email goes on to say that ‘a draft political balance review will be circulated early next week’.

In line with the Council’s trademark opacity, laziness and ineptitude, the local press were not informed of the development. 

Social media in and around Oldham, including contributions from a number of prominent political activists, paints the former Conservative councillors as heroes – and the expectation is that the new Group on the council will soon comprise a significantly larger number than the present three.

A Palestine Solidarity conference and fundraiser is arranged to take place in The Palm Suite on Middleton Road, Chadderton on 10th December, 2023 in which Cllr Ghafoor, as the new Leader of the The Oldham Group, is expected to play a prominent role.

A number of overtly pro-Palestine Labour councillors are also expected to attend, which may prove pivotal in deciding their future political allegiances. There are, presently, thirteen Muslim Labour councillors in Oldham, a number that may well be reduced to single figures before the present Gaza conflict is resolved.  

The number of different factions on Oldham Council now risen to seven: Labour Party, Liberal Democrat Party, Conservative Party, Failsworth Independent Party (FIP), The Independent Group (TIG), The Oldham Group (TOG) and Cllr Aftab Hussain, whom, for the moment at least, remains as nominally independent but maintains strong links with the Labour Leader, Cllr Arooj Shah, in their St Mary’s power base. 

The next Full Council meeting in Oldham is scheduled to take place at the Civic Centre on 13th December, 2023. A conflict of a different kind, across the Party divides, is not at all difficult to envisage as the main parties and the FIPs, TIGs and TOGs take aim at one another. 

Follow Neil Wilby on Twitter (here) and Neil Wilby Media on Facebook (here) for signposts to any updates.

Page last updated: Saturday 25h November, 2023 at 1255 hours

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